Open Access Books

Edited by Tejinder Kataria .

226 Pages .Open Access .ISBN 978-953-51-1163-4 .

Radiation therapy was applied for treatment of cancers empirically after the discovery of radium . The acute and long term side effects were recorded clinically as the patients started outliving the tumours. The combination of radiation before or after surgery and subsequent addition of chemotherapy has revolutionized the way we treat cancer today. Every tumour is approached through a multimodality discussion such that the toxicity of either treatment can be reduced with maximum curative potential. Frontiers in Radiation Oncology has been brought forth to understand the basics of radiation sensitization, cellular and genomic stress responses to radiation,inhibiting repair of subletahl damage along with an understanding of the dosimetric aspects of radiation physics. The chapters on clinical aspects have been designed to bring out the changing concepts of cure in metastatic disease with the advent of stereotactic body radiotherapy. The effects of radiation, concurrent chemotherapy and surgery are also the subjects of exploration in the clinical context.

Any textbook on providing care to cancer patients cannot be complete without addressing the quality of life in cancer treatment and the nutritional needs of the high catabolic state in the cancer patients. The last two chapters address these needs.

The book is meant for physicians, physicists, dosimetrists and counselors who are trying to provide a holistic care in cancer while trying to understand the complex basics of radiation interaction within the human body.

Edited by Sylvie Manguin .

828 pages .Open Access .ISBN 978-953-51-1188-7 .

First of all I would like to thank Sylvie Manguin, Editor of this book, who compiled 24 chapters that present current knowledge on malaria vector taxa. By asking me to preface this book, Sylvie got me out of my “bubble of Auvergne Region” and reconnected me with a scientific community that I had indeed never abandoned. It is with great pleasure that I found in this book the contributions of my former students and friends.

At the end of the second millennium, I had more or less put my pen down while the threat of global warming posed a major concern for the development and extension of vectorborne diseases. Particularly pessimistic forecasts predicted an extension of malaria up to the Polar Circle. However, no geographic expansion of malaria has been noticed in the last 20 years [1]. At most, the disease has reappeared on the Korean Peninsula where it was eradicated in the 1950s [2, 3]. Also, no particular invasion of Anopheles species has been observed as opposed to the global invasion of Aedes albopictus [4].

After the failure of the World Programme of Malaria Eradication (1950), WHO (World Health Organization) proposed at the Conference of Amsterdam (1992) a new strategy based on the treatment of all clinical cases using all chemo-therapeutic compounds, in particular the artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT). Vector control was a principal component of prevention. The use of insecticide-treated nets (ITN) has been shown to be effective in all epidemiological situations, and the pyrethroids used to impregnate the nets (permethrin, deltamethrin, lambdacyhalothrin, etc), besides protecting sleepers, has a beneficial impact on all members of communities where these nets are used [5, 6].

In last 20 years, manufacturers produced long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN) using fabrics that retain insecticide activity from three to five years (even after more than 15 washes).

These LLINs are well accepted by users, and more than 24 million nets have been distributed in the Afrotropical Region alone. In 1992, it was expected that implementation of this new strategy would initially reduce malaria mortality by 50% [6]. However, accurate data on malaria deaths is very difficult to obtain; this mainly rural disease often eludes official statistics and the results of different studies vary widely depending on the sources. The most recent estimates provided by Murray et al. in 2012 [7] give a more nuanced trend with the malaria mortality burden being larger than previously estimated, especially in adults.

This study estimated that in 2010 malaria was the cause of 1.24 million deaths compared to 655,000 deaths reported by WHO, and in the Afrotropical Region infant mortality (children < 5 years old) due to malaria was estimated to be 24% versus 16% based on the WHO malaria report estimates [8]. These figures, although imprecise, provide a current estimate of the impact of malaria worldwide, which falls far short of the expected results despite the enormous financial expenditures of the WHO, charitable organizations, foundations and national initiatives.

Currently, the spectrum of resistance to many, if not the majority, of insecticides continues to pose a serious threat to all control programs, and alternate methods of control are of very limited efficacy [9]. Larval control by insecticides or insect growth regulators (IGR) is limited to specific habitats, such as the oases of Oman. Hopes are now based on genetic control by transgenic mosquitoes. Research underway for more than 20 years has not produced a means of controlling malaria on a continental scale such as Africa where it endures without a solution for sustained control. We are still left with expectation.

Finally, one cannot ignore the considerable work on the systematics of Anopheles mosquitoes. In addition to the creation of the subgenus Baimaia by Harbach, Rattanarithikul & Harrison, many new species have been described or are waiting to be described [10, 11], especially in Asia where the majority of the vectors belong to species complexes [4]. Southeast Asia with the Anopheles dirus complex and New Guinea with the Anopheles farauti complex, both comprised of eight species, represent 'hot spots' of Anopheles biodiversity. Species complexes include vectors and non-vectors and the identification of the vector species poses a real problem that can be solved by the new techniques apparent in the book.

This book, describing new insights and innovative approaches to the study of malaria vectors, contributes to a passionate aim of society – the eradication of malaria as a cause of morbidity and mortality in the poorest populations of the world.

Edited by Petar Ivanov .

166 pages .Open Access .ISBN 978-953-51-1199-3 .

Thrombophilia has appeared as a diverse group coagulation disorder associated with thrombosis development tendency. Both acquired and inherited thrombophilia shows relationship with a risk of pregnancy failure. Despite the extended researches, the influence of thrombophilia on gestation complications and potential management options stays indistinct and undergoes frequent revaluations.

The main purpose of “Pregnancy Thrombophilia - The Unsuspected Risk” is to provide an update of the current statements of the place and treatment options of thrombophilic conditions during pregnancy. The thrombotic state and its control during pregnancy appears in a new direction in high risk pregnancy follow up. Providing continuous updated evidence concerning these pregnancy states is a sizable goal of mother-fetus health involved practitioners.

The authors of “Pregnancy Thrombophilia - The Unsuspected Risk” attempt to propose up-to-date, concise statements about pregnancy thrombophilia and current indications for treatment options encompassing both clinical and basic knowledge of the problem.

The first and second book’s chapters provide recent knowledge about molecular basis of thrombophilia state and its clinical and pathological appearance in mother, fetus, and placenta.

The further two chapters discuss the main target groups of women with pregnancy complications needing thrombophilia testing and an incoming pharmacogenetic approach of individualized antithrombotic therapy.

Chapters five and six summarize the current view for the place of acquired thrombophilia – antiphospholipid antibody syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus disease in adverse pregnancy outcome and supplemental therapy in concern with anticoagulant treatment.

Because of the specific processes concerning embryo implantation and placenta development after IVF, a separate chapter has been added to give contemporary position for the influence and treatment requirements in women with thrombophilia undergoing assisted reproduction.

Thanks to the different affiliation fields of the book’s authors and editors, an extensive view of pregnancy thrombophilia conditions have been given using current published clinical trials and still-in-laboratory investigations.

“Pregnancy Thrombophilia - The Unsuspected Risk” has been faced to all specialists, being involved in mother-fetal health care and it gives a chance for them to form their own opinion for studying and treating maternal thrombophilic state. The content is open for feedback, concerning further update, improvement of the scientific substance and applied clinical guidelines directions.

Edited by Thomas Nelius .

184 pages . Open Access .ISBN 978-953-51-1180-1 .

Urinary tract infections (UTI) continue to be under the most common bacterial infections worldwide. Diagnostic and treatment have substantial financial burden on society. In the USA, UTIs are responsible for more than 7 million physician visits annually and about 15% of all community-prescribed antibiotics in the USA are dispensed for UTIs. About 50% of women will experience at least one UTI episode during lifetime, about 1 million emergency department visits due to UTI in the USA alone, resulting in more than 100 000 hospital admissions annually, most often for pyelonephritis. Moreover, UTIs are also the leading cause of hospital acquired infections, accounting for approximately 40% of all such cases. The majority of these cases are catheter-associated. Therefore, nosocomial UTIs comprise perhaps the largest institutional reservoir for nosocomial antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Beside the economic impact, UTIs affect also significantly the quality of life of the affected population.

The aim of this book is to highlight problematic aspects and recent advances in the field of UTIs. The book is divided in three parts.

The first part covers issues regarding catheter-associated UTIs including prevention, problems in developing countries and the role of bacterial biofilms.

In the second part deals with potential new diagnostic developments for pediatric related UTIs. This includes new concepts regarding dysfunctional voiding and new anatomical aspects of the vesico-ureteral junction.

Genetic factors underlying susceptibility upper UTIs and potential immune-based treatment strategies are discussed in the third part of the book.

Edited by Ahmed O. Kaseb .

ISBN 978-953-51-1202-0 .322 pages .Open Access .

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) develops as a consequence of underlying chronic liver disease, most commonly cirrhosis. Therefore, HCC management draws on the expertise of a range of medical specialists. Many components of current novel therapeutic modalities for HCC are discussed in the current version of the book within the framework of a multidisciplinary approach with special emphasis on emerging treatment approaches and research strategies. This book is the essential clinical guide for oncologists, hepatologists, surgeons, and all physicians and researchers involved in the care of patients with HCC. I would like to thank the authors for their significant efforts in bringing this edition to life. This book is a tribute to their continued dedication to improving HCC outcome.

Dr. Ahmed Kaseb

University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center .

USA

CONTENTS :

1 Role of Alleles and Genotypes of Polymorphisms of IL-18 (-607 C/A; and -137 C/G), IFN-γ (+874 A/T) and TNF-α (-238 A/G and -308 A/G) and HLA-G Genes in the Susceptibility of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. by Andreza Correa Teixeira, Ana de Lourdes Candolo Martinelli and Eduardo Antonio Donadi

9 Conditions that Predispose to the Development of HCC: The Role of Tumor Associated Fibroblasts and of microRNA . by C. Avellini, D. Cesselli, A.P. Beltrami, M. Orsaria, S. Marzinotto, F. Morassi and S. Uzzau

Edited by Francesco Signorelli and Domenico Chirchiglia .

Brain mapping is nowadays a well established field of functional neuroscience that has a high clinical impact, sustained by incessant advancements of basic and clinical research.

The world-class group of neuroscientists gathered together to elaborate this book has done a skillful job: apart from delineating their area of expertise they managed to give the reader an accurate hint about what are the current implications of brain mapping both in research and clinic. Ideal for researchers and clinicians involved in functional neurosciences, this book is a valuable reading for anyone, student, resident or seasoned specialist, seeking to keep up to date with the latest developments in functional brain mapping.

By dividing the book in three chapters we intended to give the reader an inkling of the main topics studied, namely sensorimotor integration, speech, vision, mood and cognition, as well as the central research and clinical applications of brain mapping. These are the stepping stones from which further developments will arise and contribute to improve our understanding of brain function and our capacity to enhance, preserve and restore it in case of impairment or loss.

Edited by Justine Rudner .

202 pages .Open Access .ISBN 978-953-51-1133-7 .

The development of the mammary gland occurs in four distinct phases: embryogenesis, puberty, pregnancy, and a post-lactational phase involving profound levels of cell death and tissue remodeling. This post-lactational phase is termed post-lactational involution. During embryogenesis, a solid epithelial bud is generated in the embryonic ectoderm. As this bud continues to grow in cell number, the epithelial bud invaginates into the underlying mesenchyme forming the nascent mammary epithelium. The mammary epithelium grows as solid epithelial cords, lengthening distally and branching to form the rudimentary epithelial network. At puberty, ductal elongation continues in a proximal-to-distal direction, and side branches appear along the ducts. The side branches also lengthen distally, and continue to branch. This pattern of distal growth and branching fills the mouse mammary fat pad with an extensively branched epithelium by the end of puberty [6]. Similar to what is seen during embryonic mammary development and patterning, the mammary ducts developing during puberty originally appear in solid epithelial cords. Apoptosis canalizes the luminal space within the ducts, allowing a patent conduit for milk to traverse through the breast epithelium [1, 7]. Ultimately, the rodent mammary epithelium is comprised of a continuous, branching network leading from the nipple to primary ducts and smaller ductules that terminate in terminal end buds (TEBs), blunt ends or alveoli. The inner luminal cells are separated from the basement membrane by an outer myoepithelial layer.

Myoepithelial cells secrete basement membrane components to which the epithelium attaches, and that physically separates the epithelium from the stromal compartment.

Many morphological similarities exist between the mouse mammary gland and the human breast, although some distinctions exist. In the human breast, the cluster of epithelial acini arising from a single terminal duct, referred to as the terminal duct lobular unit (TDLU), is thought to be the milk-producing unit of the mammary gland. Therefore, the post-pubertal human breast harbors cells capable of milk production even in the absence of pregnancy whereas the rodent mammary gland does not. However, profound expansion and differentiation of the TDLU population in the human breast is still required in order to render lactation successful ......

Edited by Deepa Bhartiya and Nibedita Lenka .

638 pages . Open Access .ISBN 978-953-51-1192-4 .

Pluripotency is basically defined as the potential to give rise to all three germ layer derivatives reflecting to 200 odd cell types present in the body, and except the extra-embryonic cell types. It could be either (i) inherent as seen in case of embryonic stem (ES) cells derived from the inner cell mass of blastocyst stage embryo, embryonic/primordial germ (EG/PG) cells derived from developing gonads, embronal carcinoma (EC) cells or (ii) acquired. The latter category includes the cells from adult tissues reprogrammed to attain the pluripotent state and functioning similar to ES cells. This could be achieved either by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) or by incorporating a set of transcription factors specific to ES cells into somatic cells and their transient activation leading to induction of pluripotency in them, the latter being designated as induced pluruipotent stem cells (iPSCs) pioneered by Dr. Shinya Yamanaka (the recipient of Nobel Prize in Physiology / Medicine for the year 2012 along with Sir Dr. John Gordon, the father of reprogramming phenomenon).

Undoubtedly the recent progress in Stem Cells research field has opened up a wider horizon with various interesting avenues for explorations in basic Biology and Development and on successful broad spectral implication of stem cells in cell replacement therapy, gene therapy, live stock improvement and tissue engineering as well as in pharmaceutical industries.

However, a priori requirement is to have the mechanistic understanding and address the safety vs. the efficacy issue including the ethical concerns. In an effort in this line, the book, “Pluripotent Stem Cells” is a compendium addressing the aforesaid aspects. Indeed wide gamut of topics has been covered in the book under various sections with contributions from experts in the stated field concerning diverse aspects of pluripotent stem cells. We hope that the book would add up to the existing knowledge on pluripotent stem cells.

Edited by Theo van de Ven and Louis Godbout .

376 pages . Open Access .ISBN 978-953-51-1183-2 .

Cellulose is destined to play a major role in the emerging bioeconomy. Awareness of the environment and a depletion of fossil fuels are some of the driving forces for looking at forest biomaterials for an alternative source of energy, chemicals and materials. The importance of cellulose is widely recognized world-wide and as such the field of cellulose science is expanding exponentially. Cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer on earth, has unique properties which makes it an ideal starting point for transforming it into useful materials. To achieve this, a solid knowledge of cellulose is essential. As such this book on cellulose, the first in a series of three, is very timely. It deals with fundamental aspect of cellulose, giving the reader a good appreciation of the richness of cellulose properties. Book Cellulose – Fundamental Aspects is a good introduction to books Cellulose – Medical, Pharmaceutical and Electronic Applications and Cellulose – Biomass Conversion, in which applications of cellulose and its conversion to other materials are treated.

Theo van de Ven

Department of Chemistry at McGill University,

Canada

Louis Godbout

Academic Associate at McGill University Pulp and Paper Research Centre,

Edited by Theo van de Ven and John Kadla .

Open Access .234 pages .ISBN 978-953-51-1172-6 .

Cellulose is only one of the components of biomass, although being the most abundant. To make useful chemicals or materials from cellulose requires as the first step the separation of cellulose from biomass. Various issues of cellulose extraction and its conversion are discussed in the chapters of this book on cellulose, the third and last one of a series of books on cellulose. This conversion of cellulose is an integral part of the biorefinery concept, an effort to derive optimum value from all biomass components, and as such compulsory reading for students and researchers in this area.